Killer Portrait
by Crystal Stones
Summary: A string of murders. A shady history. A portrait that kills. Literally. Plus Jesse. Wee! Read and review!
1. Death Strikes

**People of the universe! This is my third fic now! I'm fantastic! Actually, I'm just taking a break from my other stories. This is based from an episode of a T.V. series. I got some of the characters and I just tweaked the story. See if you can find out which series. Now go read! **

Killer Painting - Prologue : Death Strikes

_A newly-wed couple gazed on the painting that hung over the fireplace as they sat on their sofa. They just bought it in an auction early in the morning. It was an old family portrait of a well-known family that used to live in the area. It showed the tall father looking at his daughter on his left. The little girl was holding a little doll. On his right were his two sons and his wife. On a table in the lower right corner of the painting, was a razor. A deadly razor._

"_Oh, isn't it such a beautiful painting? I am so glad we bought it," the woman said happily._

"_Yes, so am I," her husband replied._

"_Aren't we extremely lucky? I mean, of all those paintings, we happened to have found the perfect painting," the woman continued._

"_I know. I just love it," he said, smiling._

"_Well, we have to get ready for bed now. It's getting late you know, he later said._

"_OK, fine," she said reluctantly._

"_You go ahead. I'll go check the alarms first," he offered. _

_They shared a quick kiss as the woman went upstairs. She entered their room, leaving the door open. She quickly changed and she sat on the bed, waiting for her husband. She got a book on the table, knowing that sometimes it took him a long time to check the alarms. _

The head of the father in the painting moved, unseen by the couple. Now, he was staring straight forward.

_Suddenly, she heard a little noise. She looked up and she saw a shadow moving towards the door. "Wow. That was really quick," she said thinking it was him. Then, she just went back to her book._

"_Honey?" the woman murmured a few seconds later, deeply engrossed in the book._

Meanwhile…

_Her husband just finished checking the alarms. He walked up the stairs and into their room._

"_OK. I'm done checking," he said to her back. She was facing the wall. When there was no reply, he tried again. "Hello, I'm done checking them," he said, wondering what game his wife was playing. _

_When there was still no reply, he got worried. She usually replied when he talked to her._

_He reached forward and tried to turn her around, but she wouldn't budge. Instead, he felt something wet and sticky. He turned the lamp on so he could see what it was. _

"_No…," he whispered. _

_Blood. There was blood on her. He tried to move her again, this time pulling harder. She finally moved. When he saw her face, he was horrified._

_Blood was blood all over her. Her throat was slit. Her glassy eyes stared back at him. _

_Dead. She was dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. The word swirled through his head._

"_No. No… this can't be…," he murmured, stumbling backwards. _

_He turned around quickly to reach for the phone. But before he got it, he realized a shadow lurking in the hallway. For the first time, he just realized that he was in danger. Someone -or something- killed his wife. He might be next. _

_But before he could move, the shadow moved._

Outside the house, screams filled the air with wild and raw terror…

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**So… you like? Review so I will know. Then I will update if I have two reviews. Maybe. OK? All the major characters will come out soon. And they will have names, too! Hehehe… Try to guess who the couple was. But I don't think you can... I'm not sure if their ghosts will come out. I need your opinions. **

**Bye!**

**Jen**


	2. News

Killer Portrait – Chapter 1 :

**Hello there, little people! I thank you for reviewing! Only **_**Jesse drives me crazyyyy**_** answered the question and she got it right! I based this on the T.V. series Supernatural. You people are no challenge. (Scowls at everyone.). No one even tried to guess who the couple was. Seriously. No challenge at all. Thank you to **_**UniqueIllusion **_**for reviewing! Oh yeah, Suze is 19 years old and Jesse is 22. Just wanted to lessen their age gap. Here's my update…**

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Killer Portrait – Chapter 1: News

Suze's POV:

Silence. Slurp. Silence. Slurp. Slurp…. Then WHAM!

"Jesse!! How many times have I told you NOT to do that?!" I yelled.

I was enjoying a nice, _peaceful_ cup of coffee when Jesse slams a newspaper on the table. And let me tell you, this was not the _first _time he did this. If he keeps on doing this, I'm going to have a heart attack before I'm even thirty.

"I'm sorry _querida, but this is urgent_," my boyfriend said with a sad smile that didn't reach his eyes. Then I melted and forgot all about my anger. What? You would have too if you saw him smile. And yes, you heard me right. My _boyfriend._ So hands off! I, Susannah Simon have a boyfriend who shares the same talent. Well, I wouldn't really call _it _a talent, but we are mediators, so we can see ghosts. Where's the fun in that, I hear you ask? Well, I also thought that being a mediator sucked big time. That was until I transferred here in California, went inside my room, and met the ghost haunting it. Jesse. We became friends after a while. Then, I met Paul. His little brother was tricked into exorcising Jesse. I rescued him. Then, he kissed me. Wow, I know. Then I learned we could time travel. So I did, and I saved Jesse. I just told you my life in a few sentences. Not to forget Father Dom, my school's principal and priest and fellow mediator. Cool, no?

"Susannah! Listen to me! This is serious!"

OK? Whaaa….? Man, do I tend to babble to much or what? Wait, don't answer that.

I just gazed dumbly at him, head still foggy.

"Susannah, I have some bad news. Remember when Cee Cee and Adam were married?" he asked me.

Of course I remembered! They married each other a month after graduating high school. Young, I know. But they were so happy and excited…

I nodded slowly, still wondering what was so urgent.

"Didn't they move to Seattle?" he asked again, and I nodded again.

"OK, Susannah, I hate to tell you this, but… um….uh…." Jesse stuttered.

"Come on Jesse, hurry up!" I glared at him, getting impatient.

Jesse gave me a dark look.

"Susannah, Adam and Cee Cee are dead." Jesse finally said.

WHAT?? When I heard that, I felt like a bomb exploded. How can they be dead? Twenty years old is too young to die.

"Th-…. Th-… They… They are dead?" I whispered pathetically.

"Yes, Susannah. They are dead," he confirmed sadly. He was close with them, too.

"H- h- h- how?" I asked in this really small voice.

"Ummm… I'm not really sure. I read it in the newspaper," he said, waving it up and down.

I grabbed it from his hands and read it. Their deaths made the front page.

"MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF A COUPLE IN SEATTLE"

Two nights ago, a couple in Seattle, Adam and Cee Cee McTavish, was brutally murdered in their own homes. Their throats were slashed, and it was said that they died immediately. The police was called by their neighbour, Paul Slater. He claimed that he was worried because no one answered the phone when he called them. It appeared that he had his own key to their house because he said they were friends and he constantly dropped by their house. He couldn't find them so he went up their room and found them dead. The police are still investigating their death. There might be a serial killer on the loose. Make sure to lock your doors at night. Continued on page 10.

OK… That was creepy. And disturbing. Too disturbing. I immediately burst into tears. I didn't care that people were staring.

"I'm sorry Susannah that you had to learn this way. But listen, Mr. Mctavish called. He told us that their funeral will be held next week, and he asked us to attend," (I'm not sure if you can plan a funeral in that time period. Just guessing here.) Jesse said, trying to comfort me.

"OK. We should go there." I said mournfully.

"Let's go to your house now. You should rest," Jesse told me.

We went home immediately. No one was home, thank God. I sat down on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. Jesse suddenly appeared in front of me. He had a sad smile on his face.

He started to talk to me, trying to comfort me. A few seconds later, I stopped paying attention to him. There was a weird glowing around him. My attention was wandering.

_Why is Jesse glowing? He's not dead any more, is he? No. I already saved him. Then why is he glowing..._

My attention was brought back when Jesse stopped talking. Why? Because someone else was talking. And it wasn't me.

Jesse had this puzzled look on his face. He stepped forward and turned around.

We were shocked when we saw Cee Cee and Adam behind him.

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**It was really hard to type this chapter. Finding Nemo was playing on the T.V. and it was kinda hard to concentrate. Oh well. I'm sorry it's kinda dragging. Now I'm going to plan on my new story which will hopefully be posted by next week. Review or no update! OK? Understand? Good. Bye! J**_**ust**__**keep swimming, just keep swimming, Na na na… **_**hehehe…**

**Jen**


	3. Ghostly Visitors

Killer Portrait – Chapter 2 :

**Thank you guys for the lovely reviews. It was a lot of fun reading them. Also some favourites! Yay! Both of you had the same reaction: OMG! Cee and Adam were killed?? Aaah, you guys are **_**so **_**priceless! And to Ellie's review, yes, I know this is from Supernatural. All I just borrowed were the killings and portraits. So here's my **_**official**_** disclaimer:**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Mediator or Supernatural. OK? No suing!**

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Killer Portrait – Chapter 2: Ghostly Visitors

Suze's POV:

There, in all their ghostly glory were Cee Cee and Adam.

I kid you not.

"Suze? Oh, it is _soooooo_ good to be finally able to talk to someone!" Cee cried.

"Cee Cee! Adam!" I cried happily, rushing forward to hug them.

"Jesse! How are you, my man?" Adam yelled.

"Uh, not feeling that good this moment," Jesse said solemnly. His tone hit us. Hard. They were dead, and there was nothing we could do about it. Except to bring their killers to justice.

I stepped back. I looked at them. Cee was in a violet nightgown that brought out her eyes. Adam was wearing a baggy shirt and some shorts. They both had the same haunted-happy look. I felt bad, knowing I was alive and breathing and they were as dead as doornails.

"Who killed you? Maybe you could tell us so we could call the cops and you will be in peace, knowing your killer is behind bars!" I suddenly blurted.

They looked at each other uncertainly.

"Yeah, Suze? It's not really like that. Well, I –we didn't see him," Adam said sheepishly.

This took a second for my brain to process.

"What?" I exploded. "You didn't see who _killed _you?"

"It's not like that. It was really dark and he suddenly… slit our throats. We pretty much died right away," Adam said.

"OK. You didn't see him. HOW CAN THAT -" I was cut off by Jesse before I could continue shouting at them. I mean, they're my best friends, and I love them. But how can somebody _not see their killer_? That is impossible! What are they, blind?

"Why don't you tell us what you did that day you were… you know," Jesse cut in, shooting me a dirty look. Hmph.

"Well, we were pretty excited for that day. There was going to be an art auction at a gallery and we couldn't afford to miss it," Adam said.

I believed him when he said they couldn't miss it. They are _huge_ art lovers. Let them see the _ugliest _piece of art you can find, and they will love it. Seriously.

"We spent half of the day looking for the perfect painting. Then some guy called us. Said he knew the perfect painting for us. We were so excited; we didn't even bother to ask him how he knew our taste in art. He led us to this portrait of a family. We looked at it and we fell in love with it. Well, more on me. Adam wasn't so excited on buying an extremely expensive painting," Cee told me, glaring at Adam.

"Yeah, well she kept on bugging me until I gave in. After we bought it, we went home and ate dinner. It was getting late. Then we watched a very short movie. Once it was finished we just sat on the sofa and started staring at the painting. I have gotten quite fond of it…" Adam trailed off.

OK… What a boring day, for a not art lover like me. For them, well, as they said, it was exciting.

"So that is all that you did. Mind telling me what happened when you were killed?" Jesse winced as he said killed.

"I was checking the alarms when Cee went upstairs. When I went up she was… dead. Then before I could reach the phone, I saw a… I'm not really sure what it was. But I think it was a shadow," Adam said uncertainly.

Cee continued. "While I waited for Adam, I read a book. Then I also saw this "shadow". It was very quiet, it made absolutely no noise. I thought it was Adam. It went closer to me then…" Cee Cee gestured towards her dead self.

"Do you think it was a person?" I asked suddenly.

"Come to think of it, no. I think it was something…supernatural. Or of the dead variety anyway," Cee said.

"So it was ghost?" I asked.

"I'm not sure if it was actually a ghost… Wait. Before it killed me I heard this strange clunking sound. You know, like metal-"

"Metal? What metal?" I asked frantically.

But it was too late to ask them. They were gone. Adam disappeared before he could complete his sentence. Guess that was holding him here. Cee Cee promptly disappeared after Adam. Guess he was the one holding her here.

After a few minutes, Jesse finally spoke.

"Susannah. You do know what this means, right?" Jesse gazed at me with his dark eyes.

"I- uhhh… I- We should attend their funeral?" I guessed. What happened to my brain, I hear you ask? Well, try learning your best friends are dead. Then you see them in their ghost form. Then they disappear before you can finish talking to them. All in one day. So cut me some slack.

"No. Well, yeah we are gonna attend it, but that is not what I meant," he said, smacking his head.

"Then what?" I asked him impatiently.

"We have to hunt this ghost or whatever this is and blast it back to where ever it came from."

Sure. Now you're speaking my language. Why not?

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**Please review. Oh yeah, and if you review, make sure you check your e-mail account because I will start to reply, coz some people do not check them at all. You might also ask why I won't acknowledge your name and just thank you here. Let's just say I get confused with all your names. **

**Jen :)**


	4. The Investigation

**This is now where the real action begins! Someone said in a review "I hope none of that's word for word." What does that mean? And today, I learned how to crochet! If you don't know how to do it, then I advice you don't learn. Your hand will **_**really**_** hurt. Plus it is super frustrating… anyway, enough of my babbling. Oh yeah, go check out my profile. I changed it, and there's something really cool there. You'll see. **

Killer Portrait – Chapter 3: The Investigation

Suze's POV:

_**12:00 A.M.**_

"Ready?"

"Ready."

We (as in me and Jesse) quickly ran towards Adam's and Cee Cee's house. We were dressed in black from head to toe. Perfect for snooping around in the dark.

When we reached their house, I quickly inserted my key in their lock, carefully ripping out the "crime scene" tapes. I pushed the door open, and we were in.

Dirty footprints were everywhere. Must be the police's.

I looked around their house. Meanwhile, Jesse grabbed my shoulder and pointed towards the fireplace. There, we saw an elegant looking picture frame. Minus the picture.

"Jesse! Where the hell is the portrait?" I asked furiously. "We _have_ to find it!"

"Shh… Calm down _querida._ I'm sure it will be here somewhere," Jesse rubbed my back. "Come on, let's look around."

I went upstairs. I entered Adam's and Cee's room. I shuddered as I saw bloodstains on the bed and on the carpet. I gingerly made my way to the bed.

I inspected everything. Everything was in perfect order. More proof that their killer was more of the ghostly variety.

I went back downstairs to see Jesse hunched up over a corner. Hearing me, he turned around and showed me a piece of paper in his hand. Written on it was a name of a gallery, and below it was an address.

"Think this is where the painting's gone?" Jesse asked.

"Sure worth a try," I shrugged. "Come on, let's go. I think we've done enough here."

On the way out, a camera on a table caught my attention. I got it and turned it on. I went to the stored pictures and gasped quietly when I saw the latest picture. It was Adam and Cee, beaming proudly, and behind them was a portrait. Or should I say, _the_ portrait.

"Hey Jesse!" I called. "Over here!"

He came over to me and looked at the camera. He peered at the tiny screen and looked towards me.

"Too bad it's kind of blurry. But at least we have an idea of how it looks like. Good job," he congratulated me while kissing my cheek.

"Thanks. Now come on, let's go!" I said hurriedly, eager to get out. I was getting sleepy… not to mention creeped out. Hey, I'm not a chicken, but try staying in a house where your best friends were killed. Spooky.

We slipped outside unnoticed. After we put everything back the way it was, we went back to our hotel.

_**The next day, 9 A.M.**_

"Susannah! Hurry up!" Jesse yelled impatiently.

"Wait! Give me ten minutes and I'm done, I promise," I yelled back.

I glanced at my reflection and groaned. I woke up _way_ too late and didn't have time to take a bath anymore. Thus the wide and unruly tangle of hair.

I got my brush and tried to unravel the wild mass of hair. After nine minutes, I was finally successful. Deciding that I didn't have any time left to style my hair, I just left it the way it was: long, wavy, and natural.

"I'm done!" I yelled triumphantly, rushing outside.

"Finally! Let's go!" he paused. "You look lovely."

I blushed slightly. I was getting used to his comments, but it was still hard to stop blushing. I was wearing an extremely skimpy mini-dress that barely reached my thigh and a neckline that plunged to my waist. (A/N: I got that neckline thing from Twilight; its Rosalie's dress during Prom. ;p) On my feet were five inched heeled stilettos. Kidding… No way would I wear those kinds of clothes. What am I? A Lady of the Night? Get real. I was wearing an off the shoulder top with a pair of low rise jeans on my feet were some strappy heels.

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself," I replied, looking at his casual shirt and snug jeans as he grinned at me.

"Come on. We have to get that painting!"

After a few minutes, we reached the place. And the name? Well, the place was called "Slater and Winchester Arts."

We entered it casually. Once inside, we began to crane our necks, trying to find it ASAP.

The place was _huge. _Portraits, still life, abstract, sceneries, you name it, they have it. We looked for hours; just for that portrait we saw based on that blurry image.

Just then I saw a huge sign that said: Family Portraits. On a hunch, I told Jesse to go there. After a few minutes, we found it.

"Jesse, that's the one, don't you think?" I tugged his sleeve. He nodded.

"Wow! Finally! At last!" I cheered. When Jesse made no sound, no nothing, I got concerned.

"Jesse? Hello? What's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

Pale, he pointed to it. I then studied it more carefully and got the meaning of what Cee meant when she said it looked creepy.

Hands down, it was _the _creepiest portrait you could ever find- no, ever exist.

I shuddered.

"OK, that is super creepy," I stated.

Jesse was still quiet. Pale and trembling.

"Jesse?" my voice grew an octave shriller. "Jesse!"

"Susannah," he finally choked out. "I-"

"Good morning! Are you interested in that?" a guy interrupted.

He was about average height, dark haired and muscular. Cute.

"Excuse me," I hissed, pissed off. I dragged Jesse away.

"Jesse?" I asked anxiously, waiting for him to speak.

"I-" he paused. He shook his head and took a deep breath.

"I recognize that portrait. That man? My uncle, Alejandro de Silva. That woman, my aunt. Those guys? My cousins. That girl over there? That was Maria, when she was young."

Oh boy.

"Wait."

Jesse headed towards a table and sat down. He got his laptop from his bag and switched it on. He went to Google and typed in "Alejandro de Silva."

Only one item came out. (A/N: Is that even possible?) He clicked on it and an article came out. He quickly skimmed it and turned to me with a grave look.

"During my hundred and fifty years here, I heard rumors that Alejandro killed the entire family, and then killed himself. Of course, since they were a rich and respected family back then, everything was covered up. Apparently nobody believed it, except for this man who created this." He gestured towards the screen of his laptop.

"But I've never heard of that story," I said doubtfully.

"Because it was covered up," he simply said.

"OK… Um, Jesse, continue that. Give me a second, nature calls," I said quickly. He nodded distractedly.

I headed towards the ladies' room quickly and did my business. On my way back to Jesse, that annoying cutie came up to me again, this time with another guy behind him and said, "Hi. What's your name?"

"Its Suze," I answered. "And I'm taken."

"Ouch," the guy said playfully. "Can't catch a break. I'm Dean, by the way."

"Hi Dean," I said, friendlier this time. This guy seemed funny.

"I'm Paul," the guy behind him added. Tall with curly dark hair, he had deep blue eyes.

"Hi Paul," I said cautiously. He creeped me out. Then it clicked.

"What's your last name?" I suddenly asked.

"I'm Paul Slater," he said. "One of the owners of this gallery." Probably thinking I knew him by fame. But something else bugged me…

"You were the one who found Adam and Cee's bodies?" I asked.

"Uh-huh. Too bad about their deaths. We were pretty close," he said in an offhand manner. Something told me that there was something he was hiding something…

Just then, a customer called him away. I sighed gratefully.

"Creeped you out, huh?" Dean asked with a cheeky grin. "He creeps me out too, but if you run a gallery, you're gonna need all the money you can get, and that dude is a gold mine."

"Let me guess. You're Dean. Dean Winchester?" I said dryly.

"Very good," he applauded me.

"Thank you, thank you," I bowed comically.

"I was wondering," he said, suddenly serious, "would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

"Sorry. I can't. I have a boyfriend, remember?" I turned him down carefully.

"Oh. Right. But if you change your mind, you know where to find me," he winked at me as he walked away.

I went to Jesse. He had a serious look on his face.

"Susannah. I have a theory. I think it was Alejandro who killed Adam and Cee Cee," he frowned.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"Well, if he killed his entire family, then he certainly has murderous rage. I'm thinking that this portrait is the link to his spirit- not ghost, because if it was his ghost, we could have called him already. No, I'm thinking that once this portrait is gone, the spirit's gone. So, I'm saying tonight, we sneak in here and burn it."

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**Cliffie! You guys have no idea how long it took me to fit everything in together. So, like Dean's appearance? Don't worry, Sam will come out, too… later. Review!**

**Jen**

**P.S.- Don't forget to check out my profile!**


	5. Burn and Return

**I realized that I made a stupid mistake in the previous chapter. It is 12 A.M., not 12 P.M. Guess I wasn't thinking straight. Thank you for pointing that out. I am a little bit sad though that only one person reviewed. Please review, they're inspiration! And I'm sorry for the long wait. Too many projects and exams… Plus there's Twilight! I love that book. If you haven't read that series, you really should go read it! **

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Killer Portrait – Chapter 4: Burn and Return

Suze's POV:

_**12:00A.M… (Again)**_

"Ugh…" I grunted as I climbed over the wall. "This sucks!"

Dressed in black from head to toe, we were breaking and entering, _again, _at midnight, for the second time now.

"Shh… Be quiet," Jesse warned me.

I rolled my eyes as I swung over to the other side, landing soundlessly.

"Not bad, _querida,_" Jesse smiled, walking towards me. Whoa, he climbs _fast._ "A perfect ten."

"Thank you," I bowed.

"Come on!"

With that, we scurried over to the building. We nearly ran in with a security guard, but luck was with us.

"Whew, that was close," I gasped quietly.

"In here!" Jesse called, beckoning through a window.

We climbed inside quickly. These guys sure did have lame security. We headed towards the area with the portrait. We found it, still in its stand, covered with a white cloth. I got my Swiss Army Knife and started tearing it carefully from its frame.

"Here," I whispered, handing it to Jesse.

"I'll take care of this. Now, put everything back the way it was," Jesse directed, rolling the portrait up in a scroll.

I placed the white cloth back the way it was and checked everything again. Once I was sure everything was in order, I signalled Jesse that we could go now.

We quickly sneaked out, avoiding all the security. We climbed over the wall again, quickly running towards a dark alley nearby.

"Whoa… W- we should ne- never do that a- again," I panted, gasping for air.

"Can I have the lighter please?" Jesse asked, also trying to catch his breath.

I rummaged around by little black bag until I found it.

"Here," I said, handing it to Jesse.

"Thanks," he replied.

He unrolled the portrait and placed it on the ground. Looking at it, I shivered.

"Can you please do it faster? It creeps me out," I complained.

"Be patient, _querida,_" Jesse said sternly. "Here, help me."

I held it as Jesse tried to make a spark. After a few moments, he gave up.

"Susannah, I have no idea on how to work this thing," he sighed in frustration.

I started giggling. "Jesse, did anyone tell you you're so cut when you're frustrated?"

"Hmmm," Jesse mused. "Nope… Now please burn this thing. It's starting to creep me out."

"My thoughts exactly," I grinned triumphantly. "So here's how you use this. First, you move this little circle here with your thumb. Turn it until light is produced… See? It's easy."

I brought the flame closer to the portrait and watched it catch fire. I dropped it on the ground and watched it patiently as the whole thing burned.

"There. All done," I finally said.

Jesse started scattering the ashes with his feet.

"What is that for?" I asked curiously.

"So that it won't be so obvious something was burned here. The ashes will soon be gone and will camouflage with the cement anyway," Jesse replied.

"Oh. Good idea," I shrugged, walking towards him.

"There. Okay, let's go back. We need our sleep; we wouldn't want to be walking zombies, do we?" Jesse teased. "Besides, tomorrow, since we've finished our task, I am taking you out on a date."

"Yes!" I squealed. Jesse's dates were super fun.

Jesse laughed. "Come on, I have an idea to where we're going. To a park, perhaps? Or do you want a fancy restaurant?"

"Both!" I answered immediately.

"So let's go back to the hotel now!" he exclaimed teasingly as he kissed me sweetly on the lips. I melted in this brief kiss. As he pulled away, I started to complain.

"Uh-uh-uh," he shook his head teasingly. "Sleep first, kissing later."

"Fine," I sulked. He's not getting his way that easily.

_**The next day…**_

As we made our way out, I was bubbling happily.

"OK, I have seen _the_ perfect restaurant," I announced as an amused Jesse tried to keep his laughter in. I was practically jumping with happiness. "After we eat there, we are going to this beautiful park! I hear they have this really romantic garden," I said, pointedly looking at him.

"I give up, you win. So how about this. You tell me nothing about today's plans. You have to do your best in surprising me," he finally suggested.

"Deal!" I accepted.

His arm around my waist, we walked happily towards the restaurant I had in mind. We didn't bother taking a taxi, because one, we were getting short on cash, and two, walking with Jesse this way was much more romantic.

I was chatting happily as we waited for the sign to go green and we could cross. Across us was the gallery with a black Impala in front of it.

"And there's a fountain in the garden, and it is so-"

"Can't you guys do this right?" a huge voice boomed, startling us.

I yanked my eyes from Jesse's face to see a really tall –and really cute- guy shouting at two men who were trying to load a wrapped item in his Impala.

"This time, do it _carefully_," tall and cute guy instructed. "Be careful not to hit the top part and- Ugh! You guys hit the top again! If you hit the top of the car, you can't fit it in and it won't go in!"

"Seems to me that someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," Jesse nudged me.

One of the guys loading it removed one of his hands to scratch his head, and the white cloth covering the thing he was loading fell down. He quickly bent down to cover it again and once more pushed it in the car. Finally, he got it in. Getting in his car, the guy mumbled something and drove away speedily.

But I wasn't breathing. My eyes widened to their limits and my jaw dropped open.

"Susannah? _Querida,_ what is wrong?" Jesse asked anxiously.

"It's not yet over," I blurted. "The portrait we burned…. It's back. I don't know how, but it is. Someone just bought it… And I'm afraid he's the next to die."

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**My chapters are gonna get shorter, in order to make the story longer… So I'm so sorry. On the bright side… TWILIGHT!!! I am seriously addicted to Twilight!**

**Jen**


	6. Hope and Faith?

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Here is my update! Sorry for the long wait.

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Killer Portrait – Chapter 5: Hope and Faith?

Suze's POV:

"What?" Jesse exclaimed. "Where?"

The light turned green, and I dashed to the streets, trying to find it. Finally, I went back to Jesse.

"It's too late, he's gone," I said.

His face was a look of grim determination. "No it's not. We can ask about him."

"Let's go." We went to the gallery, all previous plans forgotten.

"Now, we need to gather all the information we can get about the guy who bought the painting. Let's split up," he directed.

"Divide and conquer," I agreed. (A/N: Got that from a show.)

I was walking towards an area with paintings all over, when a hand clamped on my shoulder.

"Hey."

I looked back at Paul's friendly smile. I forced one on my face, mentally cringing.

"Hey Paul," I greeted.

"What are you doing here? Planning on buying the entire gallery?" he joked.

"No… actually, I need to ask you something about a customer," I admitted. "A guy who just bought a … portrait."

"And why would I tell you?" he asked playfully.

"It's important. I need to know about him," I pressed.

His face hardened. 'I'm sorry, Suze. Can't reveal that-"

"Hey Suze! You're back!"

I turned around slowly. "Hi Dean."

"What brings you here?" he asked curiously.

"Uh… if we can go somewhere more private…" I looked at Paul.

"Well? Go away." Dean said, looking at him expectantly. Paul looked at me, narrowing his eyes, and finally walked away.

"Okay, he's gone. You were saying…"

"I need some information about that guy who just left. The really tall one with that portrait?" I asked hopefully.

He frowned. "I thought you were taken."

I rolled my eyes. "I am, but it's nothing like that!" He looked at me dubiously. "Please?" I insisted.

He sighed. "If you're talking about the one who just bought the portrait you looked at, then yeah, I know him. But why should I release the information? It's against our policies."

"Because if you don't I'll…call Jesse and make him beat you up to bloody pulp?" I replied.

He just laughed. Seeing my serious expression, the smile left his face. "You're serious then. Hmm… What about you go out with me to dinner tonight, and I'll tell you all about him," he bargained.

I considered it. "How do you know I'll even show up?" I asked.

"Well… because I'll just give you some now, and the rest later," he answered triumphantly.

"How do you know I won't leave?" I countered.

"You drive a hard bargain. Well, because I will give it once we are finished eating."

I thought hard. "Okay," I finally relented… I had something up my sleeve, something I haven't even thought about before.

"Good," he smiled. "Now, where are you staying so I can pick you up… about eight?"

I rattled off the address. "Now, the guy's name?"

"Huh?"

"You said you were going to give me half of the information to me now," I reminded him impatiently.

"Oh yeah. The guy's name is Sam. Sam Hale."

"Where does he live?" I asked.

"I'm telling you that, later," he grinned. "Can't wait for tonight." He walked away. I mentally yelled in frustration as I looked for Jesse.

"Hey Jesse, the guy's name is Sam Hale," I said, once I found him.

"Good work _querida_," he praised. "How did you find out so quickly? Do you know where he lives?"

"Well, I asked this guy… He told me his name. I will know where he lives tonight," I said uncomfortably.

"Tonight?" He looked adorably confused.

"Dean will tell me where he lives… during dinner," I blurted. "He'll tell me only if I go out with him."

"Oh. Okay then, as long as nothing happens," he smiled, kissing my cheek. I am _so_ lucky. I mean, how many girls have understanding boyfriends like Jesse?

"But," I hastily said, "Why don't we just search for his address? I mean, we have his name."

"Smart girl," he said. He set his laptop, and typed in Sam Hale. Soon, we found five Sam Hales. But _none_ of them lived in Seattle.

'Okay… how can this be?" I asked, frustrated.

"I guess you will have to go to dinner with him, after all," he shrugged.

"This is not fair," I complained.

"But we are doing this for Adam and Cee Cee," Jesse pointed out.

"For Adam and Cee Cee," I repeated determinedly. "Wait- but what are we going to do once we get the address?"

"I'm going to go to the address, and warn him," he replied.

"You're going _alone_? Can't you just wait for me?" I asked.

"No. It's too dangerous. Besides, Alejandro knows me, not you," he said. "I think I will be able to talk to him."

"But what if you're too late and Alejandro is there? Or he won't listen to you?" I asked worriedly.

"Just trust me, _querida_. I will be able to handle this. I think Alejandro will be shocked once he sees me. After all, I was supposed to die a hundred and fifty years ago. I think this should work out to my advantage," he answered confidently.

"One last question," I interrupted. "How are you supposed to defeat him?"

He wrinkled his brow. "Okay, all I will do is burn the portrait. That should get rid of him temporarily, giving me enough time to save Sam and get out of there with it. I'll bring it back to the hotel, where we will try to destroy it- permanently."

"But what if it can never be destroyed?" I asked again, even though I said the previous question would be the last.

"Oh." It was obvious that the idea never entered his head. "Well, just hope for the best and have faith… Remember Susannah, never say never."

What a good time to talk about faith and hope…

… _Not._

* * *

**I'm sorry for making this so short. But short update is better than no update at all, right? So, if you want me to update this, you know what to do. This story is almost finished. I think. Just a few more chapters to go. Please review! They make me update quicker, knowing someone is reading this.**

**Jen**


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